"You... have... seven... new... messages" — Robot voice

The prevailing coverage on voicemail suggests that it's a technology that is going out of fashion, rapidly. Voicemail is arguably on the way out with many large companies phasing out the system in their offices. It’s also becoming less and less of a thing for millennials, with digital natives and modern workers often opting to send a text or instant message instead.

With these trends in mind you'd be forgiven for thinking that most people aren't using the service anymore. However, in Ireland at least, you'd be wrong.

KillBiller looked at millions of Irish mobile calls. Analysis of data found that 76% of Irish mobile subscribers were still using voicemail.

Despite widespread commentary and prediction of the technology’s decline, voicemail use is still highly prevalent in Ireland. Even with far more efficient ways to communicate, the humble voicemail still retains its popularity.

How much does voicemail cost?

Whether you are charged for voicemail depends largely on whether you are on billpay or prepay, and within these categories there are differences in charges between the cost of voicemail within a plans allowance and the out-of-plancharges.

For example, prepay users who "opt-in" for a plan with call allowances will not be charged for voicemail per-se, but it will be taken out of their plan allowance. Those who buy credit and don't opt-in to prepay plans may have to pay a set rate for the service.

KillBiller gives you a full breakdown of your mobile usage so can tell you exactly how many voicemail calls you're making each month. KillBiller is available for Android and iOS:

Billpay charges

For billpay plans, calls to voicemail can use up your "minutes" allowance. So, as long as you don’t exceed your plan's call allowances, you shouldn’t have to pay any extra for checking your voicemail. Voicemail calls made after exceeding your plan's allowance can cause costs to be incurred.

Prepay charges

Again with Prepay, most "opt-in" plans allow you to access voicemail as part of your allowance of minutes. However, once outside these allowances or for for those not on a plan, there are charges.

Voicemail charges by network:

Network

Prepay rate

Billpay rate

Vodafone

9c connection fee, then 15c per minute

Free

Three

15c per minute

15c per minute

iD

15c per minute

15c per minute

Meteor

15c (connection fee only, free thereafter)

Free

Eir

15c (connection fee only, free thereafter)

Free

Postmobile

20c per minute

Free

Tescomobile

20c connection fee for 1 minute and 20c thereafter

20c connection fee for 1 minute and 20c thereafter

These charges will not affect a lot of mobile users because plan allowances generally cover the cost of checking voicemail. However, it's always good to know where you stand on costs to avoid unexpected charges.